John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction – Best Read with the Lights Out!

When Sci-Fi and horror mix with space, we all are winners. From the very first panel, the horror and fear that is pictured let’s you know that you are in for one seriously freaky ride! This week’s book is a tough one for me not to spoil, but I will try my best to keep all the best parts secret. This is also that good of a book that I am really going to try not to spoil for you, as I want you to go through all the twists and turns I went through! Best to read this one with the lights out, maybe use one of those headband flashlights, pull the covers up over your head.

The book’s story is centralized around a crew that is on a regular “resource mission”, finds that their plans have been altered somewhat and are traveling to the other side of the moon to investigate a downed futuristic aircraft, one not owned by anyone on earth. It becomes real freaky when they approach the space craft and they notice some English poetry is written on the side of the ship. There, that’s all the spoiler you get!

At first, I had no clue what I was getting myself into… Tales of Science Fiction? That’s the title? I don’t know what a better name might be, but this is just too good of a book to have such a generic title. Guess it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside of the story, it matters what’s on the inside.

This story had me feeling uneasy from the get-go as the art and the story are done perfectly! These two (and whoever did colors) worked so well together, bravo! Page layout is fantastic as well, as you get the feeling that even though they have a full team, they are small and insignificant in comparison to what lies ahead of them. John keeps you on your toes as the pages roll on. Small discoveries lead to bigger ones, questions arise, small horrors grow into bigger ones. I found myself reading, and re-reading this book as it kicked my imagination into overdrive. Even though this is an early review, I WANT #2!

STORY: 4.5

Space, it’s dark out there. Get into certain places, it’s even darker! Andres Esparza adds fractions of light that give off the sheer emptiness of space. Sometimes, it’s just the lights on the characters suits that show the way, and it makes it all the more spooky! You would think dim and dark on just about every panel might not work, but Andres really works the lighting amazingly. I also noticed that in the first few panels, facial features were tough, portraying hard characters, ones that have lived out in space for quite some time. Ones not scared of the emptiness. As the story evolves, so do these facial features. Doubt creeps into the characters faces. Shock and fear are drawn with excellent hands here, and Andres does fantastic work, bravo!

ART: 4.75

Creepy, that’s the feeling you get when you first take a look at the cover for this comic. Adding to the outstanding dark imagery of this cover is the red eclipse depicted on the “O”. The death depicted on the cover, one of rot and decay, looks human and although we don’t know what the evil of this book is, we get a sense that whoever this futuristic spaceship belongs to, it’s probably human based. Although I love the spookiness of the cover, I question if it will keep the regular customer from picking up the book. Sure, those that are truly into scary comics will grab this, but will the regular reader want to pick it up to be scared? Not unless they hear about it second hand, I’m afraid. Sadly, this book is just too good for people to turn away just because of the cover.

COVER: 3.75

There is something special about this book, like the very first time you watched IT (TV Movie), or Something Wicked This Way Comes. It’s filled with suspense, and you can’t help but involve yourself with it. You feel the characters fear, and can’t help diving into the comic, reading at an ever increasing rate. Your imagination searches each and every panel, looking for whatever just went bump in the night! Inside this book is great mystery, tension, and fear, and it should be read. Seriously though, make yourself a plan, notify your Local Comic Shop ahead of time, and get this book! Minus the title, this is a real good book, and I can not wait to read more. Maybe there is a method to the madness… GREAT, more suspense!